The Congregation (Johnny Griffin album)

The Congregation is an album by American tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin recorded on October 23, 1957 and released on Blue Note the following year, his final recording for the label.

Background

Artwork

The cover art was designed by Reid Miles and illustrated by Andy Warhol.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings

The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow states, "The great tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin is heard in top form on this near-classic quartet set... It's recommended for bop collectors."

Track listing

All tracks are written by Johnny Griffin, except as noted.

Side 1
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Congregation"		6:47
2.	"Latin Quarter"	John Jenkins	6:29

Side 2
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"I'm Glad There Is You"	Jimmy Dorsey Paul Mertz	5:10
2.	"Main Spring"		6:33
3.	"It's You or No One"	Sammy Cahn Jule Styne	4:52

1994 CD reissue bonus track
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
5.	"I Remember You"	Johnny Mercer Victor Schertzinger	7:29

Personnel

Musicians

Johnny Griffin – tenor saxophone
Sonny Clark – piano
Paul Chambers – bass
Kenny Dennis – drums

Technical personnel

Original

Alfred Lion – producer
Rudy Van Gelder – recording engineer
Reid Miles – design
Andy Warhol – cover illustration
Francis Wolff – photography
Robert Levin – liner notes

Reissue

Michael Cuscuna – reissue producer
Larry Walsh – mastering
Patrick Roques – redesign

References

"New Releases". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. March 3, 1958. p. 17 – via Google Books.
Popoff, Martin (September 8, 2009). Goldmine Record Album Price Guide. Penguin. ISBN 9781440229169 – via Google Books.
Johnny Griffin discography accessed October 21, 2010
Salminen, Viljami. "The Iconic Work of Reid Miles". Viljami Salminen. Retrieved 2018-10-18.
The Early Jazz Album Covers of Andy Warhol, accessed November 17, 2015
"The Congregation - Johnny Griffin | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 606. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
Yanow, S. AllMusic Review accessed October 21, 2010

v t e Johnny Griffin
Studio albums	Introducing Johnny Griffin (1957) A Blowin' Session (1957) The Congregation (1958) Johnny Griffin Sextet (1958) Johnny Griffin (1958) Way Out! (1958) The Little Giant (1959) The Big Soul-Band (1960) Battle Stations (1960) Johnny Griffin's Studio Jazz Party (1960) Tough Tenors (1960) Griff & Lock (1960) Lookin' at Monk! (1961) Change of Pace (1961) Blues Up & Down (1961) White Gardenia (1961) The Kerry Dancers (1961) Tough Tenor Favorites (1962) Grab This! (1962) Soul Groove (1963) Do Nothing 'til You Hear from Me (1963) Night Lady (1964) Tough Tenors Again 'n' Again (1970) Birds and Ballads (1978) Bush Dance (1979) Return of the Griffin (1979) To the Ladies (1982) Call It Whachawana (1983)
Live albums	The First Set (1961) The Tenor Scene (1961) The Late Show (1961) The Midnight Show (1961) Blues for Harvey (1973) NYC Underground (1981)

Johnny Griffin

Studio albums

Introducing Johnny Griffin (1957)
A Blowin' Session (1957)
The Congregation (1958)
Johnny Griffin Sextet (1958)
Johnny Griffin (1958)
Way Out! (1958)
The Little Giant (1959)
The Big Soul-Band (1960)
Battle Stations (1960)
Johnny Griffin's Studio Jazz Party (1960)
Tough Tenors (1960)
Griff & Lock (1960)
Lookin' at Monk! (1961)
Change of Pace (1961)
Blues Up & Down (1961)
White Gardenia (1961)
The Kerry Dancers (1961)
Tough Tenor Favorites (1962)
Grab This! (1962)
Soul Groove (1963)
Do Nothing 'til You Hear from Me (1963)
Night Lady (1964)
Tough Tenors Again 'n' Again (1970)
Birds and Ballads (1978)
Bush Dance (1979)
Return of the Griffin (1979)
To the Ladies (1982)
Call It Whachawana (1983)

Live albums

The First Set (1961)
The Tenor Scene (1961)
The Late Show (1961)
The Midnight Show (1961)
Blues for Harvey (1973)
NYC Underground (1981)

v t e Sonny Clark
Years indicated are for the recording(s), not release.
As leader	Dial "S" for Sonny (1957) Sonny's Crib (1957) Sonny Clark Trio (Blue Note, 1957) Sonny Clark Quintets/My Conception (1957–59) Cool Struttin' (1958) The Art of The Trio (1958) Blues in the Night (1958) Standards (1958) Leapin' and Lopin' (1961)
As sideman	Minor Move (Tina Brooks, 1958) Blue Serge (Serge Chaloff, 1956) Lou Takes Off (Lou Donaldson, 1957) Bone & Bari (Curtis Fuller, 1957) Curtis Fuller Volume 3 (1957) Two Bones (Curtis Fuller, 1958) Go! (Dexter Gordon, 1962) A Swingin' Affair (Dexter Gordon, 1962) Soul Stirrin' (Bennie Green, 1958) The 45 Session (Bennie Green, 1958) Gooden's Corner (Grant Green, 1961) Oleo (1962) Nigeria (1962) The Complete Quartets with Sonny Clark (Grant Green, 1961–62) Born to Be Blue (Grant Green, 1962) The Congregation (Johnny Griffin, 1957) John Jenkins with Kenny Burrell (1957) Showcase (Philly Joe Jones, 1959) Cliff Craft (Clifford Jordan, 1957) Jackie's Bag (Jackie McLean, 1959) A Fickle Sonance (Jackie McLean, 1961) Vertigo (Jackie McLean, 1962) Tippin' the Scales (Jackie McLean, 1962) Poppin' (Hank Mobley, 1957) Hank Mobley (1957) Curtain Call (Hank Mobley, 1957) Candy (Lee Morgan, 1957–58) Easy Living (Ike Quebec, 1962) The Sound of Sonny (Sonny Rollins, 1957) Smithville (Louis Smith, 1957) Stan 'The Man' Turrentine (1960) Jubilee Shout!!! (Stanley Turrentine, 1962) Preach Brother! (Don Wilkerson, 1962)

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